


Crime and Punishment

by TheCakinator09



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: All aboard the Feels train, Angst, Child Abuse, Gen, Pain, Sans is a Protective Brother, W. D. Gaster Being An Asshole, bad times, crime and punishment, lab experiments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-05-29 00:38:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6351961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCakinator09/pseuds/TheCakinator09
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Crime and Punishment is a story that bases around the idea that WD Gaster created Sans and Papyrus. And, uh, other stuff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ???

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rebirth of Crime And Punishment.  
> A sneak-peek, anyway. <3

The cold, grey room was dimly lit by the bubbling blue liquid contained in a hollow glass cylinder. The bubbles, and occasional wheeze of machinery were the only things that broke the deathly silence.

The only living creature in such a place was a lone skeleton, wrapped in a white lab coat and shirt, with black shoes and pants. In his hands he clutched a clipboard, a pencil working furiously across the paper.

 ** _Day one: The experiment is complete. It sits in suspension for now, as its... soul continues to mature. It cost me much of my own soul to create this. I do not believe what I have lost will grow back. I am past that age. If- rather, _when_ it awakes, I will remove it from the solution and expose it to open air._**  


**_From the width of its pelvis, I can assume that it is a male. However, experiments do not have gender. They do not have feelings. They do not have intelligence. I have no reason to refer to it as “he”. Its na- serial code will be Subject S-1-S. When I remove it from suspension, I will engrave this in its bones. The true experiment has begun._**  


**_I will succeed._ **

***

Slowly, very slowly, its eyes opened. It blinked multiple times, but everything stubbornly remained blurry. It pressed its han- what?  
The newly-born creature stared at its hands, then wiggled its fingers. It looked down at its body. Fascinated, it explored itself, twisting around as best as it could while restrained by the liquid. It felt very weak, and quickly became tired, returning to the comfort of floating limply.

It gradually became aware of a similar-looking creature watching it from just outside of the wall. Curiosity peaked, it tipped its head to one side, watching the monster that watched it. The stranger looked down, dragging his hand across a thing he held in his hands. Then, with a snap of his fingers, two floating hands appeared, taking the objects from his arms. The lab-coated stranger strode forward, to a flat metal control pad in front of the suspension glass. His fingers moving rapidly over a keypad, there was a hissing noise, and the bubbles abruptly ceased before starting again, larger and rising more rapidly than before. Startled, the experiment looked around wildly.

The scientist watched it, curious as to how it'd react to being removed from suspension. It seemed to have no idea as to what was going on.

The experiment suddenly looked up, as if coming to a realization. The liquid was draining. It could feel itself sinking. It was forced to support its weight as the rest of the liquid bubbled its way out of the cylinder. It collapsed to its knees, trembling. It felt so... heavy. Cold. The creature outside of the glass crouched down, staring into his eye sockets.

 ** _“Can you hear me?”_** The voice was deep, almost a mechanical rasp. The skeleton stared back, dumbfounded. It had heard, yes, but had it understood? Absolutely not. It merely tipped its head to once side once more.

The scientist _tsk_ ed, standing up. Of course. The experiment had no intelligence. Whether or not it could be taught would be interesting to find out. Until then, getting it to follow instructions would prove to be difficult. With the press of a button, the cylinder lifted, and the experiment tumbled out, having been leaning on the glass. It sat up, dazed. Bending over, the scientist, Gaster, as his nametag read, grabbed his experiment's arm and pulled it to its feet. As he did so, the little thing let out a surprised cry. Gaster gritted his teeth. It had emotions. It wasn't supposed to have emotions.

 ** _“Walk,”_** he snapped impatiently. He gave it a rough shove. It promptly fell over, letting out a huff as its barren bones clattered against the floor. It sat up, crossing its legs and putting its hands in the center. The experiment looked more confused than hurt or scared. Which was natural, of course. It was brand new. It had no way of knowing about cruel intent. Gaster let out a heaving sigh. It obviously wasn't going to just get up and start striding across the floor.

Bending over, the scientist pulled S-1-S to its feet again. Flicking his other hand, he watched as the soul floating within its ribcage became a dark blue. He lifted it off the ground, and it levitated in the air, letting out another yelp of surprise. Its eyesockets stretched wide, and it looked around. Gaster sighed, and began to walk across the lab. Behind him, the levitating skeleton was giggling quietly to itself.

This was going to take quite some time.

_End of sneak-peek!_

**TO THOSE READING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME, REFER TO THE BELOW NOTES!**

Now, bear with me while we go through a (very short) history of this little fiction.

Recently, I decided to start writing an Undertale fanfiction, by the name of, obviously, Crime and Punishment. I had so much fun writing the first chapter, all the way up to posting it. I received positive feedback. Thrilled, I began to write up a second chapter. Except, this time, I found it harder to write. I had already begun to ask myself questions. Where was I going with this? Did I even have a plot? Regardless, I posted the second chapter. I was so excited for more reads, and more feedback. 

Then came the third chapter. It took over two weeks to get it out to the public, as apposed to the second chapter coming out two days after the first. I had so much trouble getting it down. I had no ideas. I knew I HAD to come up with a plot, or the whole thing would just go downhill. Thank god for long bus rides though, am I right? 45 minutes of thinking, all to myself. I began to come up with some ideas, though I was very unsure about it. So I wrote them down. After a few days, I got a little thing going, so I made the decision to re-write Crime and Punishment. 

And so, here we are. I'm writing a new chapter one, and as a little sneak peek for my other readers, I posted it over the old chapter one. I'll soon do the same for chapters two and three, and soon, the notes that place as "chapters" four and five. If you're still confused as to why chapter one has absolutely no connection with chapters two or three, feel free to ask!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! Did you like the chapter?
> 
> Got questions, submissions, or feedback? Check out my Tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thecakinator09


	2. Captives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which things intensify.  
> a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the Easter Bunny with a basket full of angst! A little late, and shorter than the last, but it's posted as promised!  
> My computer was having MAJOR issues, so I was working on this pretty late. It's midnight right now.  
> Enjoy the chapter!

It had been three days since Grillby had seen the children. Nobody in Snowdin had any encounters, either. Dogamy and Dogaressa had come back empty-pawed. There had been no missing children reports. Odd.

Grillby absently prepared some fries in the kitchen. What had happened to Sans and Papyrus? His thoughts broke off when there was a loud commotion back in the dining area. Quickly scooping the fries from the fryer, he hurried back. What he saw was surprising.

Undyne was sitting on a bar stool, staring furiously at nothing in particular. Why was she here? The Royal Guard Lieutenant turned, looking at Grillby as he came out.

“I've heard that you took in those two monsters when you found them,” she said. It was more of a statement than confirmation.

“Yes, I did,” Grillby said. He was confused as to where this was going.

“And you let them go?”

“Yes,” the bartender repeated. Grillby flinched as the Lieutenant slammed her hands on the table. “What's wrong with you?” she snapped.

“I'm sorry, I don't understand,” he said, bewildered.

“Because you let those monsters go, someone is injured!” she spat angrily. Grillby gasped, shocked.

“What? They _hurt_ someone?”

“Yes! They injured Mr. Snowdrake when he tried to approach them about stealing his trash!”

“I-I didn't know. Is he okay?”

“... The one who hurt him only took away one HP. We're lucky it wasn't worse.” Undyne muttered something else under her breath.

“I don't understand. How is that an issue? He merely acted in what he believes is self-defense. He's very protective of his brother. Assuming, of course, it was the older one that attacked him.”

“How is it an issue?” she growled in outrage. “What if he moves on to attack others? This may have been a warning. If I find those monsters, I _will_ take them in.” She stood up.

Grillby was stunned. They were merely acting in self defense and fear. He had only dealt one damage. They were _children_. Why was she being so impulsive about this?

His thoughts were once again broken when Undyne pointed at him. “If you come across those monsters again, bring them to me. That's an _order_.” Whipping around, the Lieutenant stormed out of the building, the dogs saluting her as she passed. The door slammed shut behind her.

The silence in the bar was suffocating. Grillby was absolutely still until a touch on his hand pulled him from his void. Looking over, he spotted the bird, her face creased in concern.

“You okay, Grillby?” she asked. For a moment, the fire monster didn't respond. Then he sighed.

“I don't know. How could she make an order like that? The children didn't do anything wrong on purpose. This is going a little overboard.”

Pulling away, she nodded in agreement. “I know. But you have to. I'm sure she'll be nicer to them than she's letting on.”

“You know how intense Undyne is,” he said blankly.

The bird monster fell silent. She knew. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I've never seen the kids in person, but I know you must feel for them.”

Grillby nodded slowly. “They were obviously in so much pain... They were so scared... Sick, and hurt, and...” he trailed off, hanging his head. “...And now they have Undyne after them. After all they've been through.”

“From what you've told me, Sans has a good resolve. He and his brother should be safe for now,” she told him reassuringly. “They'll be alright.”

This wasn't entirely convincing, but it gave him a little hope. “You're right,” he sighed. “The best we can do is send them our wishes.”

“That's the spirit, Grillby!”

***

Papyrus looked down at his brother, who was sleeping on an old fluffy thing they were lucky enough to find. He had been sleeping a lot more than usual. Like, a lot a lot. He was coughing more, too. He said he was fine, that he inhaled a snowflake or whatever, but Papyrus didn't entirely believe him. He was beginning to think Sans was lying to him.

“Sans, you're not really okay, are you?” he whispered to him. He put his hand on his brother's skull, eyeing the scratches that hadn't even begun to heal. Sans' face was scrunched up in a look of fear and discomfort. Was he having another nightmare? Papyrus hoped he wasn't having another nightmare. Maybe his tummy hurt-? Oh wait.

The little skeleton sat there, wondering if he should wake him from his bad dream. At the same time, he didn't want to. Sans needed sleep. He was really tired all the time, and he'd probably scold him if he was woken up. Papyrus didn't like being scolded. Mean Sans was mean. Making a final decision, Papyrus let Sans sleep.

***

_Grey walls._

_Cold metal._

_The pain._

_Leather straps, pinning him against his will._

_Struggling in vain._

**_“Stay still.”_**

**_“You'll only make this harder for yourself.”_**

Sans screamed for help. But nobody came. The monster in which he feared and loathed hovered beside him, his floating hand holding the syringe.

**_“If you keep struggling, I'll make it hurt worse.”_**

Trembling, Sans pulled in a shaky breath, falling still. His hands curled into fists. His captor smiled, though it looked more like a sneer.

**_“Good.”_**

Sans whimpered as the tool lowered towards his arm, then pressed into the bone. He shivered as he felt it enter his arm. He stared at the scientist.

“Please...” he whispered. “Stop.”

The grin intensified as he placed his thumb over the button. He pressed down, and the little skeleton shuddered as the cold liquid entered his bones and coursed through his body.

It burned. It _hurt._

Sans shrieked in pain, his back arching off the table as he squeezed his eyes shut. Beside him, the scientist merely watched, glancing down as he scribbled notes onto the clipboard in his hands.

Another bloodcurdling scream ripped its way out of his jaws. Make it stop... Make it stop. _Make it stop!_

MAKE IT STOP!

***

Sans threw himself upright, screaming. Papyrus fell backwards with a startled yelp, his eyes growing wide. The older skeleton curled into a ball, clutching his head with a cry.

“Make it stop! Make it stop!” he wailed. Scrambling to his feet, Papyrus ran over, wrapping Sans in a tight hug.

“Sans! Sans!” he cried. “I'm here! We're safe! Wake up!”

Blue bones floated in the air, whipping around aimlessly. Sans' eye blazed with blue flame, his face streaked with translucent blue tears. He showed no sign of having heard him.

Papyrus was terrified. This was the worst wake-up he had ever seen. He hugged Sans tighter, whispering soothing words to him. It seemed like ages before the clearing grew quiet once more. Papyrus could feel his brother trembling, could hear the wheezes coming out of his mouth.

“Are you okay now?” he asked his brother. Sans started to speak, but it came out as a raspy whimper. Clearing his figurative throat, he tried again.

“Yeah,” he murmured.

“... Are you sure?”

“Yeah. You don't have to worry about me, Paps. I'm okay. I'm always okay, even if it doesn't seem like it.”

“I have reasons to believe you're lying to me, Sans,” Papyrus said quietly. “You look really uncomfortable when you think I'm not looking, and I haven't seen you eat anything in a week, and you look really sick, and you're coughing a lot, and you're tired, and you always have nightmares, and you're scared of everyone but me, and your scratches haven't even begun to heal and... And...” He trailed off, his voice cracking. Tears welled in his eye sockets. “Sans, you're not okay at all!” he wailed.

Now it was Sans' turn to do the comforting. Looking at his little brother in alarm, he wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. “Shh,” he cooed. “You don't have to worry about me. I _promise_ , Paps. You know I hate making promises.”

“But I _do_ worry!” Papyrus sobbed. “All the time!”

“I take care of myself as much as I take care of you. You just haven't noticed. I swear.” He gave him a squeeze, feeling his brother's shoulders racked with a cry. Once again, silence closed in as the two kept in each other's embrace.

The peace was quickly shattered as a distant call raised the alarms.

“I heard them from over here!”

“Then get moving! We don't have all day!”

Sans pushed himself to his feet, stumbling before catching his balance. “Papyrus, we're running. Don't ask questions. Move _now_.” Shoving his little brother in front of him, his feet pounded in the snow as he began to run.

“S-Sans? What's going on?”

“I said don't ask questions! Run!” Sans yelled.

“Over here!” a voice shouted. It was much closer this time. He could hear their quick footsteps as they rapidly approached.

He was quickly tiring out, and kept shooting glances behind him. He could see them. Three in pursuit. Two dogs, and one blue fish woman in the lead. He could barely make out her features, but the burning fire in her eye was unmistakable. Letting out a small noise, he urged Papyrus to go faster. Could he risk a teleport? No. He had almost no magic reserves left. Any more magic usage would probably take HP from his soul... and he only had one.

He lost all hope to escape when Papyrus tripped. He desperately yanked him to his feet, pushing him forward. “Go!” he screeched.

It was too late. He was jerked backwards as the leading pursuer grabbed hold of his arm. “Where do you think you're going?” she snapped. Looking at the dog next to her, she growled, “Grab the other one!”

Panic seizing him, Sans flicked his – luckily free – left hand at Papyrus. The little skeleton was lifted into the air by a blue aura, and placed in the topmost branches of the closest tree. Then Sans collapsed, only held partially upright by the Lieutenant gripping his arm.

The dogs circled the base of the tree, whimpering. They couldn't climb. Undyne glared at the child in the tree, who was desperately calling his brother's name. He clambered down a few branches, but fear of he dogs below kept him in the tree.

“Give it up! He's too pathetic to be a threat.” Whipping around, she lifted Sans up and slung him over her shoulder. “Dogs, let's go. We're taking him to Asgore.” She stormed away, leaving her soldiers to follow.

Papyrus clung to the branches, horror filling him from head to toe. What did Sans _do_? Why were they doing this to him? “No, wait! Please! Stop!” he screeched. “No!”

He was ignored, and watched helplessly as his brother faded from sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering why Undyne's so hostile, it's my headcannon that before she was promoted to Captain, she was super impulsive and an absolute douche. But because she's so good at what she does, she was promoted. She eventually realizes the wrongfulness of her attitude and fixes it accordingly. :P
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this! Did you like the chapter?
> 
> Got questions, submissions, or feedback? Check out my Tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thecakinator09


	3. Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which an expedition, puzzles, and a new friend occur.  
> And possibly some Fluffybuns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took TWO WEEKS, no, MORE than two weeks to get this out to you guys. I'm sO sorry.  
> enjoy the chapter if you will.

He would help. Right? He would help him.

As soon as they were gone, Papyrus practically fell out of the tree in his haste to get down. His vision was blurred with tears. He didn't know what to think anymore. He was alone. Sans was taken from him.

Stumbling, he followed the footprint path he and Sans had made getting here. His breath billowed out in clouds.  
He will help me, he told himself again. He had been so nice to him and Sans.

Papyrus clambered up the hill, checking his surroundings once he reached the top. Where... There! Hope fluttered in his chest as he tore for the buildings in the distance. 

He could easily depict the building he and Sans had visited because of the giant letters on top. G-R-I-L-L-B-Y-'-S. He couldn't read, but his brother had taught him the alphabet and other tidbits. But that didn't matter. He had to get help!

Papyrus yanked the door open, then immediately flinched back. He wasn't used to seeing so many monsters...

He saw the bright fiery one he recognized at the back, standing behind a half-wall and talking to a bird. He looked upset.

Grillby looked up as the door opened, and immediately recognized the little skeleton in the snow. In a flurry of movement, he pulled himself from behind the counter. “Papyrus!” he exclaimed.

The bird gasped. “Is that him?” she dragged herself off the stool, following him. Papyrus wasn't sure whether to back up or approach, so he just stood there, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks.

Grillby crouched down, gently taking the child's hands in his own. “Papyrus, what's wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Sa-Sans! M-mean people were chasing us and Sans put me in a tree and they took him away! Sans is gone!” Papyrus fell to his knees, a sob racking his body. “I need your help!” he cried. 

The bird covered her mouth. “Oh my God...” she whispered. Grillby looked horror-stricken. He and the bird met each other's eyes.

“I can only guess she took him to Asgore,” he murmured, half to himself. She crouched down, picking up the child.

“We'll help you find your brother,” she whispered to him. She hugged him against her chest.

Papyrus snuffled. “O-okay.” Twisting around, he pointed at his trail of footprints. “We went that way. Down that really big hill. And... And then we found this clearing where we've been staying a while.”

“When did they start chasing you?” Grillby asked.

“After Sans had a really bad nightmare. I think they heard us talking. Sans and I were hugging, and then... He was suddenly telling me to run, so I did.” 

“Another nightmare?” the bartender murmured to himself.

“Then I heard and saw these three monsters chasing us,” the child continued. “They didn't look friendly. I wasn't looking where I was going and then I tripped.” The bird gave him a reassuring squeeze when Papyrus began to tremble. “Sans pulled me to my feet and pushed me ahead. Then they grabbed his arm. I-I would have helped, but Sans put me into a really big tree. He didn't have any magic reserves at the time. I think he hurt himself, because he stopped moving.”

The adults exchanged glances again, in silent agreement. The bird nuzzled his skull with her cheek. “We'll go find Sans now. Can you lead us to where they took him? At the place you said you stayed?”

“Yeah.”

She looked back at Grillby. “Find a way to close up shop, and then you can catch up to us.” Shifting Papyrus' full weight onto one wing, she lifted the other and waved goodbye. Then she trudged off.

Grillby turned back to his bar, and once he stepped in, he was completely unsurprised at the fact that everyone was staring at him. He gave a small bow. “I am sorry, everyone,” he said solemnly. “But due to recent events, I'm afraid I must close up early. Please do understand.”

Thankfully, nobody put up an argument as they finished up and left their pay. They filed out of the bar, giving small 'thank you's (or barks) as they passed. As the last customer left, he rushed into his bedroom, opening his closet and slipping on his snow boots. Grabbing his umbrella, coat, hat, and gloves, he pulled them on before hurrying back to the door, closing it behind him, and quickly following the footprints left in the snow.

They were waiting for him in the clearing. The bird must have put him down, because he was pacing anxiously on the ground. She raised her wing in greeting as he sped over. I never asked for her name, he thought suddenly as he stopped by them.

“I never asked for your name. I've been thinking of you as “the bird” up until now, and in my opinion, that is very rude. May I know what it is?”  
She laughed. “Well, of course! My name's Sarelle! Sorry I didn't tell you sooner.”

Papyrus tugged on her shirt, and she looked down. “Can we go now? Please?” he pleaded. Sarelle bent over, scooping him up in her embrace again.

“I'm sorry. Let's go now.” Glancing back at Grillby, she began to follow the footprints, which showed obvious signs of chase.

The bartender brought up the rear, watching the footprints as they walked beside them, creating their own.

It was going to be a long trip.

***

Undyne practically dropped Sans on the ground as she lifted her right hand into a salute. Asgore looked surprised.

“Undyne? What's this? Is that a hu- no, it most certainly is not. Why have you brought this child to me?” he asked.

“The reports of strange monsters having attacked Mr. Snowdrake were because of this one. He attacked him.”

“Oh?” Asgore hauled himself to his feet, his long shadow casting over the child as he approached. Undyne's hand returned to her side. Bending over, he picked up Sans – who almost fit in a single paw – and straightened up. Upon closer inspection, he burst into a hearty laughter. “So you found him! Doctor Gaster had told me his sons had run away on one of their little adventures. Of course, I was surprised he had children at the time! He seems to never leave his work! I can see his resemblance in his father.” He looked at Undyne's feet. “Where is the other one? Did you find him?”

“We did, but he ran away.”

A thoughtful frown placed itself upon his muzzle. “Oh. I see. Would you mind searching for him, please? I'm sure he misses his father and brother.”

Another salute. “Will do, sir. Permission to go?”

“Granted. Thank you, Undyne, and keep up the good work.”

“Good-bye, sir.” She turned, leaving through the massive doors in which she came. Watching the door as it closed with a click, he looked down at the unconscious monster child in his paws.

“My my, you're hurt. You seem to be low on magic, as well.” He moved over to his throne, his cape swishing past the flowers, causing them to ripple. He sat down, placing Sans on his lap. Gently placing his paw on the small body, he began to heal his injuries. He couldn't fully fill his magic – only a good meal could do that – but he shared some of his own. There. The child looked much better now.

There was a small groan as the skeleton twitched. He was coming to.

“Pa... Papyrus?” he murmured. He opened his eyes, white pricks of light shivering into focus as he woke up. “I'm... alive?” Shifting onto one elbow, Sans looked at his hand. He wiggled his fingers.

Seeming to realize his surroundings, his head snapped up, eye sockets wide. In a scramble, he fell off of Asgore's lap with an oomph. Pushing himself up, he flipped over onto his rump, staring up at the king in a mixture of awe and fear.

“W-where is he?” he demanded uncertainly. “Where'd you take Papyrus?” Sans pulled himself to his feet, his eyes impossibly growing wider from surprise. “I... it... doesn't hurt anymore...” he whispered. The King had the feeling he wasn't supposed to hear the comment. Forgetting about the monster in the throne, Sans became preoccupied in checking himself all over, sometimes spinning in circles in attempts to look at himself.

He suddenly stared up up at Asgore. “What'd you do?”

“You were hurt, my boy. I healed your wounds. Do you feel better now?”

“I-I...” Sans began.

He didn't get to finish. There was a loud rasping of knuckles on the door. The child flinched back, instantly cautious.

“Come in,” Asgore called. The door creaked as it was pushed open.

The monster who stepped in was the last one Sans wanted to see.

***

The three monsters stopped, looking up at the luminous entrance to Waterfall. Somewhere nearby, water trickled through some rocks, and luminescent plants rippled in an invisible breeze.

Papyrus' face cracked into a smile. “I remember being here with my brother!” he said happily. “We played in the water a lot! There was this one really old turtle guy who gave us some food! Sans didn't want it, but I got him to try it anyway. It tasted really good!”

“Does he mean Gerson?” Sarelle asked quietly.

“Most likely,” Grillby replied.

The little skeleton skittered into the cave, leaving the adults to follow. Grillby looked up at the cloudy ceiling, then opened the umbrella which he had been carrying with him. 

“Do you think it'll rain soon?” Sarelle asked.

“Just taking precautions,” he said. Up ahead, Papyrus was awed at the sight of some reeds. He circled around them, then reached up and poked a seed pod. He picked it from the stem, holding it for a moment before crouching down and placing it on the river. He watched as it drifted downstream.

Grillby stopped. “Come on now, Papyrus. We can play later.” Standing up, the child ran over. He grasped the bird's shirt, giving it a light tug. When she looked down, he stretched out his arms.

“Do you want me to carry you, little one?” she asked, crouching down. When he nodded vigorously, she let out a small chuckle, lifting him up. The monsters set off again as Papyrus snuggled into her.

They hadn't been walking too long when a somewhat-familiar voice called out to them.

“Wahaha! I'll be darned! Is that little scrap of bones who I think it is?” Papyrus perked up, the ever-present grin on his face growing impossibly wider. He scrambled from Sarelle's grasp, stumbling from his own momentum as he ran over.

“Mr. Turtle!” he squealed happily. Gerson let out another hearty laugh as the little skeleton bounced excitedly at his feet.

“Where's that brother of yours?” the ancient monster rumbled. “Sans, wasn't it?” The smile fell from Papyrus's face.

"He's not... here right now. But!” He perked. “He will be! Very soon!” Gerson looked up, locking eyes with Grillby. One brow arched upwards, and Grillby responded with a look that said later. The veteran bent over, lifting the child off of the ground to inspect his face. He was jittering happily, smiling widely.

“Hmm,” the old monster hummed thoughtfully. “Say,” he began, looking at the monsters behind Papyrus. “You young'uns wouldn't mind if I tagged along on your little expedition, would ya? I've got some business along the way I'd like to attend to.”

Grillby glanced at Sarelle, who nodded. “Of course,” he responded after a moment. “We'd love you to come with us.”

“Wahaha! I'll close up shop and be with you in a minute!” Placing the skeleton on the ground, Gerson turned and shuffled away. Papyrus retreated back to Grillby and Sarelle, walking around and between them absently. The bird watched him in amusement, while the bartender looked elsewhere. To their left was Blook acres; he would have to assume continuing right led to Hotland.

Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Gerson was returning, with the same loping gait he left with. Under his arm was a flat black box. “She's down and closed! Let's go!”

“Let's go!” Papyrus echoed, marching down the path with purpose. Shaking her head with a smile, Sarelle followed. Grillby tagged along behind, his glow lighting up the dim path ahead. He began to worry about Sans. Asgore was a reasonable monster, though. He wouldn't hurt a child. Undyne was another matter. If they committed any crime, large or small, adult or child, she'd punish them. He let out a whispery sigh.

“-Oof!” Gillby grunted as he bumped into the bird in front of him. He caught his balance. “What's wrong?” he asked, peering around her.  
“Trouble for you, I'm afraid,” she said solemnly. He could see Gerson bend over and pick up Papyrus, putting him on his shoulders. From here, the noise of rushing water was almost deafening. They were probably near a waterfall.

“What do you mean?” Grillby was confused.

“Take a look.” Giving her a puzzled glance, the fire monster walked to the front of the group.

“...Oh.” Ahead, two short waterways blocked the path, fed by equally short waterfalls. The water didn't look too deep, but wading through didn't appeal to him very much. 

“So, any ideas?” Sarelle commented, coming to a stop beside him. Grillby was clueless.

“I don't know what we can do. Any makeshift boats will be washed over the cliff by the waterfall.”

“Gerson, do you have any spare tall boots?” she asked, looking over at him.

“Of course, missy! I never come unprepared!” Pulling a bag from his back that Grillby hadn't noticed until now, he pulled it open and brought out a pair of surprisingly new-looking boots. He then put the box he had been carrying in the bag. Gerson held the boots out to Grillby, who accepted them gratefully. 

"Thank you so much, Mr. Gerson.” Balancing on one foot at a time, he pulled off the snow boots and slipped on the rubber ones. The old turtle took them from him, and plopped them in the bag before closing it and slinging it over his shoulder again.

“No problem! We should be good to go now!” Without hesitation, Gerson waded into the water. It only came up to his hips (he had rather short legs), which was a relief. Papyrus squealed with delight, reaching out to touch the spray coming from the crashing water.

Sarelle went in second, a small “woah” coming out of her mouth as she felt the water hit her legs. She crossed, coming up onto a small bank where the other two waited. 

Now it was Grillby's turn. He hesitated at the bank.

“Come on, Grillbz! It's not too far!” Sarelle called encouragingly. Letting out a puff of breath, the bartender waded in. He too felt the shock of the rushing water, and almost lost his balance. His soul pounding with anxiety, he crossed the water patch and clambered onto the pebbles. She slapped him on the back. “See? What'd I tell you?" 

“Yeah...” he mumbled.

“Don't rest now!” Gerson said. “We still have to cross another!”

Grillby held back a groan. Things like this were the reason why he chose to live in Snowdin instead of Waterfall. Not to mention the housing was so scarce here. Hotland wasn't too bad, but that place was mostly for the Royal Guard and Royal Scientist. Other monsters living there were... Odd. New Home was too crowded, which left him with Snowdin. Besides, he grew up there.

His thoughts broke off when Sarelle nudged him.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” she questioned. “Come on, you first. I'll follow behind.”

Grillby sighed, hating how pathetic he must seem. He once again waded into the water, ignoring the water pushing against his legs as he trudged across. He tramped onto the bank, the rubber squeaking on the stone. His friend came up beside him, and they waited as Gerson made his way across. As he neared, one of his hands that were holding Papyrus's legs released and pointed down the corridor.

“S'a straight path from here, m'pretty sure,” he rumbled.

“That makes things easier for us. Let's get going, then,” Sarelle chirped, beginning to lead the way.

“Um... Mr. Gerson? Can you put me down?” Gerson looked up to see Papyrus looking down at him. He stopped, reaching up and grabbing hold of the little child. Lifting him off of his shoulders, he placed him on the ground.

“Wahaha, no problem!” the ancient monster chuckled.

“Thank you!” He skittered ahead until he was walking between Grillby and Sarelle. The bird bent over, patting the boy's head before straightening up again. The tunnel got dark as the luminescent crystals became more and more scarce. Faintly glowing grass began to dot the ground, as well as a few scattered trees. Aside from the light radiating from the plants, the path ahead was completely dark. Excited by the new surroundings, Papyrus ran ahead, only to trip over a mushroom.

“Oof!” he whined. He pushed himself to his feet. “Hey, look!” he called, pointing ahead. A new path for them to follow had been lit up. Gerson burst into laughter.

“I forgot! There's a few puzzles up ahead. Lighting 'n' stuff.” He nodded to himself, beginning to follow the path. “Yessir, this should be interesting.”

He began to hobble down the newly-visible path, Papyrus at his side, leaving Grillby and Sarelle to follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anybody questioning how Undyne got to the King's chamber so quickly: Don't ask. My response will simply be "plot reasons."  
> And I don't have a plot.  
> It's just to cover up the fact that I don't know either.  
> Because logic.
> 
> ALSO! If you haven't checked out my Tumblr, I suggest you do! You don't have to follow me or make an account and follow me. It's just that sometimes I post important updates on there about my progress and whatnot, and I'd recommend you seeing it.  
> 


	4. Notice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't be alarmed! I've just got something to share with everyone.

This is a notice of hiatus. You can go ahead and un-bookmark this, or ditch the story if you’d like, but just bear with me.

With the way I’m going with this story, with all the plot ideas I’m scraping together, this fiction’ll be over almost as soon as it began. And I honestly do not like that. I made the first three chapters move too fast for the potential plot idea I have in mind.

Now, DON’T THINK I’M DROPPING THIS PROJECT! Don’t EVER think that!

I posted the prologue blip and first chapter on impulse. I do things like that so often it’s not even funny, and then drop the project when I get stressed out by all the encouragements to keep it going. I want to STOP that habit. I HATE it. I want to see this fanfiction all the way to its end. I LOVE you guys, and all the readers I’ve ever had. Ditching you would just break my heart.

I have SUCH BAD work habits. If I suck it up and work through this little block, just think it through, then I’ll prove to myself I’m not a lazy fuck that lets people down by just saying “yeah i’m not doing this anymore. lol bye.”

The problem is, I just need to take some time to develop an actual plot before I continue with this. When I DO come up with one, however, I will more than likely re-write this whole thing. (It’s not a lot so far, but still.)

Wow, that was a pretty stupid post. But um, yeah. I’m sure you get the point. Sorry, but it may be a few weeks before the next post, possibly longer. I won’t delete the chapters I have up. When I get around to re-writing them, I’ll just paste over the old stuff and notify you when I’m done.

Thank you, so much, for your patience.


	5. Update!

I added a sneak-peek of Chapter one! It has been posted over top of the old one. Go check it out!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! Did you like the chapter?
> 
> Got questions, submissions, or feedback? Check out my Tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thecakinator09


End file.
